Round 2 Team 6

[Silence Sei]

The team is Ciato Orlouge and BackAndBlueEyes. Round starts at Midnight tonight, CST, and lasts for two weeks. Good luck!

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

It's been a long fucking week.

Minutes bleed into hours, days into nights as I continue my work. That psychopath Sulla's words eat at me with every passing second. "Is that what you want,” the bespectacled freak asked me. “To stand by and watch as the idol you've dedicated your life to pats you on the head and turns her attentions towards others who may be more worthy of her gifts, her love than you are?”

No, that's not what I want. And that's not what is going to happen.

I alone am worthy of Podë's gifts and attention, no matter what she herself may think.

I have sacrificed so much of myself to please her, only to be pushed aside like I always have been for the “talents” of others, like that quivering little bag of bones and whimpers, Cellar Door. What did she see in that useless little bitch? No discernible talent, skills, or worth; a girl still blossoming into adulthood... She had no business being so far from home, deep in the middle of the Red Forest where everything could kill her within the drop of a single grain of an hourglass's sand. She should've been back home, wherever the hell that was, finding herself a rich husband to marry and waste her years in miserable isolation whilst popping out heirs.

But now, I was having the worst time trying to track her down among the crimson-leaved trees and winding dirt paths.

I should've let Sulla murder her. I should've holstered my gun and stand idly by as he slit her throat, spilling her lifeblood all over the forest floor and then toss her rapidly-cooling, unworthy corpse aside like a broken puppet. At least then I could be able to collect her body and, more importantly, the bits of her power and spirit that Podë locked away inside her.

Ever since that moment with the three of us in the forest, my gun to that murderer's head while the girl scrambled away, I have not heard from Podë. Not a single whisper from her in the wind that rattled the dead branches that hung overhead like a barrier.

Not a word from her as I hunted down and slayed the first of her pitiful chosen. Nor did she speak to me after the second, or the third, or even the fifth.

You see, it was on that second day of silence that I formed a plan. A dark, horrible scheme to be sure, one that could potentially have terrible implications for Salvar, Corone, Raiaera--the world at large. I theorized that these gifts she gave to myself and the others were shards of her own blackened soul that had incredible power locked within. She was using us as phylacteries, splitting her essence so she could live through us in a fashion after this little operation destroyed her corporeal form.

What would those who have received her gifts do with them? I can safely tell you right now that they would do nothing that would bring a smile to her face from beyond the veil. This is why I have been collecting them, you see. I will tear their gifts from their decaying corpses once Podë meets her ultimate fate here in the forest, and I will fuse them together so she is whole again in a vessel of my choosing. Perhaps a little lesser, but still the terror that she has been for ages.

This new, reformed Red Witch will be under my full control. I will have access to the power that I was due once I accepted my service to her. When she... abandoned me for the help of others, I felt lost. I felt lost, confused, heartbroken, torn, betrayed... I was angry. I was hurt. I could have fucking saved her. These feelings festering deep within my heart only steeled my resolve to see this plan through.

I will not let the sudden decision by a bunch of sniveling, back-stabbing, cowardly councilmen to send a ragtag collection of characters to eliminate someone who has given me a sense of purpose in life take everything away from me. I will not lose everything that I have worked so hard for. I will not let them erase every trace of such a powerful force that has helped sustain the balance of light and darkness for countless years.

This world needs her.

I need her.

My hunt for the others continues. May the gods have mercy on anybody who tries to stop me.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I've found another one.

A young man in his early twenties, by the looks of him. I stumbled upon his group, nearly revealing myself by accident as I lurked in the bushes as they continued to press forward. Several times over the past day, I saw that he lagged behind the others and would argue with himself in hushed tones... At least, the first time I thought it was with himself. There were moments that I heard him whisper honorary titles that one could use to describe Podë--phrases such as "dark mistress", "vile temptress", "witch", and the like.

I could feel my anger coming to a boiling point. Surely his little distractions were being caused by the one who I thought trusted me. Several others that I came across acted in a similar manner; they were actively trying to fight the effects of her magic, arguing futilely with voices and visions.

...It would be so easy to just... isolate him from the group, break his neck, and transport him to where I've been storing the other bodies. However, I noticed that his other squad mates have an increased paranoia about them--the man who I presumed was in charge in particular snapped at the boy whenever he noticed him lagging behind, grappling with the energies that were forcing him to become a vessel for a dying Forgotten One. There was one time in particular where I noted that this captain figure roughly grabbed him by the hair, forced the boy's face close to his, and proceeded to verbally tear him a new one about staying with the group and you really need to pay attention what if another pack of mercenaries shows up and slaughters the rest of the group I bet you would feel like such a shithead then wouldn't you watching the only two friends you have left in this world die like that it would be your fault you idiot--

The words pack of mercenaries swirled around in my mind for a second when I heard them, dredging up memories of the vagabonds that slaughtered half of my own assigned group and scattered the rest. My thoughts turned to Elthas--I hoped that he made it back to the Raiaerans' base camp at the tree line just fine. As for Sulla and Cellar, they'd be lucky if the dangers lurking within the Red Forest got to them before I could.

With the way that the other man was acting, simply isolating this chosen was going to be more trouble than it was worth. The leader would presumably stop the group's trek and immediately start looking for his missing friend; and from the glimpses I was able to get, it seemed like he would be relentless in his search. That would only cause problems for me. On the other hand; if I were to just pop up out of nowhere and kill the leader and the other member of their little group (a quiet brunette with a ponytail, a claymore strapped to her back, and a functional suit of armor that she moved around in unhindered as if it were her own skin), I would run the risk of letting him escape into the depths of these forsaken woods.

A tough situation, to be sure. But, I will not leave them without the boy's life and the shards of Podë's power that his soul had been corrupted with.

I followed them for hours while I formulated a plan. It needed finesse, a bit of luck, and a whole lot of lying. I was mentally drained from the events of the past week or so; in my other killings, I found that I had been making small mistakes here and there that I normally would not have. I chalked it up to physical exhaustion rather than being overcome with jealousy and anger that I was cast aside by the one who had given me purpose. Deep down, however, I knew it was the latter that was causing my missteps.

Being extra careful to keep silent within the crimson-stained brush, out of sight of the traveling trio, I took my scarf out of my dark leather satchel and held it in my briar-knit hands. It was a nifty little thing I picked up at the bazaar one day after the events of Eiskalt, when I figured it would be wise to invest in a sort of "secret identity". It was a wool scarf, dyed in a pattern of thick stripes that alternated black and gray. Not the most exciting stylistic design, but I've always been a woman of simple tastes.

I wrapped the scarf around my neck, and the enchantments immediately took effect. The green vines of my arms suddenly took on the slightly-tanned flesh of a young woman in her mid-twenties, and my black hair seemingly grew three inches and turned into the bright copper tones of a redhead. A smattering of freckles popped up on my suddenly fuller face. My ol' baby blues turned a piercing emerald green that glistened in the sun.

It was an adequate disguise for when I needed it. Now was definitely one of those times.

I redid the clasp that kept my satchel shut, and ran my hands through my bright hair in order to mess it up and give off the impression that I had been on the run from something. Slowly at first, but quickly building up with a great fervor, I rattled the nearby bushes to alert the threesome before me that I was coming. I rose to my feet and burst forth from the bushes towards them, running at first but slowly coming to a stop with some theatrical fits of heavy breathing and sobs as I put my hands on my knees and bowed before them.

It's showtime.

[Silence Sei]

*Sigh* Ciato Orlouge is an idiot who has been eliminated.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I was immediately greeted with the distinct shink of a sword being ripped from its metal scabbard shattering the afternoon calm. I did not flinch, even as I felt the sharp edge of the cold steel press on my chin, slicing the skin and drawing a few drops of blood as he forced my head up to look him in the eye.

He was definitely of the "grizzled adventurer" sort. A month's worth of beard adorned his tan, weathered face, his eyes a shade of blue that was nearly dulled to gray by cynicism and hard times. His dark brown hair was kept short and shaggy, and looked as if it hadn't been washed in ages. He had this air of authority about him that told me that I better go along with whatever game he was about to play. This man was definitely someone who expected to be listened to and obeyed. Perhaps he had been a sellsword company leader or a military officer at one point. It's a shame he was going to end up dead soon; based off of first impressions alone, I might have tried to persuade him to join the ranks of the Crimson Hands.

"Who are you?" The man's voice was gruff. "Where did you come from? Are you alone?" He narrowed his gaze at me as he raised the blade of his sword just enough to draw more blood.

The woman in the ponytail appeared beside and set her hand on his forearm. "Stefan, please..." Her voice was stern yet calm and motherly at the same time. The sellsword, Stefan, glanced over at the knight, back at me, and then clicked his tongue and sighed heavily as he lowered his blade. It took every bit of restraint I could muster to not fire off a scathing, venom-soaked quip regarding the situation and blow my cover.

The knight knelt down in front of me and took my hands in her own gloved mitts. She gave me a couple comforting pats, and I was suddenly very grateful that she was not able to feel the rough tangles of vines that were hidden under the fleshy illusions. "It's going to be okay, dear," she said sweetly. "Tell me your name."

Even if this all weren't a ruse on my part, I got the innate feeling that this woman was someone I could trust. There was just this air of gentle authority about her. A feeling that while she was around, nothing was going to happen to any of us. It was something that I've tried to emulate myself around my charges within the Crimson Hand, to varying degrees of success. "My... My name is Nadia," I lied through ragged breaths.

"Nadia..." She smiled, her thin lips parting to reveal a row of perfect white teeth. "I'm Caitlin." She nodded towards the sellsword, his weapon still in-hand and ready to run me through in a moment's notice. "That's Stefan, and the third is Tomas."

I looked over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of Tomas, the chosen. He was a man a couple inches taller than I, and years younger. A dirty mop of blond hair was slicked back with the oil and dirt that came with adventuring dozens of miles away from the nearest hot bath. His eyes were a dark shade of brown, and seemed to have trouble focusing on anything that was established in the reality that surrounded us. The leather armor he wore had definitely seen some action within the last couple days, cut in parts and stained with dried blood that he never bothered to wash off. Laundry facilities within the Red Forest were scarce as well, of course.

"So," Caitlin the knight continued, "Why are you out in a dangerous place like this all by your lonesome?"

I had to quite literally tear my eyes away from Tomas, who had begun muttering to himself the second I looked at him. A heavy weight grew in my stomach with each quiver of his lip. I had such a terrible feeling about him, and it put me on such an edge that I didn't have to act that much to sound like I was exhausted and wary. "It... it was a band of mercenaries," I said in a daze.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I told them my story, some parts subdued while others exaggerated to warm them to me. Without naming any names, I told them about Cellar, Sulla, Elthas, and the two other guys whose names I had already forgotten. I made sure to go into great detail about the attack on our group as we traversed through the Red Forest, how we were encircled and picked off one by one. I noted that within the chaos of battle, Sulla had slipped away with Cellar. I spun this as the psychopath working as an inside man for the mercenary band that sent them secret messages as to our whereabouts in order to cause enough of a distraction where he could get away with his true prize (which in a fashion really was true; Sulla desired Cellar as a means of getting to Podë).

I moved onto how I was separated from Elthas and returned to find that I was the sole survivor of the group. I lied to them regarding how long it took me to track down Sulla and Cellar and how I went about doing such a thing; instead of being conveniently pointed in their direction by the bloody corpse of a rapidly-cooling companion, I told the trio that I spent three days following their tracks before confronting the kidnapper deep in the woods.

"Did you deliver the justice that he was due," Caitlin asked.

I scratched my chin where Stefan had cut me, noting that the small wound had already healed over perfectly. I shook my head as I addressed the woman in the polished armor. "No. The girl managed to get wrestle herself from his grasp and escape, but he distracted me by biting down on his tongue and spitting a mouthful of blood in my eyes." I pointed to various splatters of dried blood on my jacket, indicating that some of it got on my clothing as well. In all actuality, it was the blood of one of the chosen that managed to get all over the garment.

The knight simply nodded. I continued, my voice cracking from talking for so long. "It's been four days since that incident. I've come across neither the girl nor her kidnapper since then. I fear the worst for her, but..." I looked down at the ground and fidgeted with the hem of my jacket to give them time to fill the blanks in themselves.

Stefan and Caitlin shot knowing looks at each other. This time, it was the sellsword's turn to talk. He did so with an annoyed sigh. "Let me take a guess here. You want to know if you can tag along with us as we continue our mission as a matter of your own personal safety."

I straightened up a bit to show him that I could be tough as well. "It was my mission too, you know. I know what I signed up for."

He snorted, his lips curled in a smirk. "Yes, of course. How rude of me to suggest otherwise." He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, we've had our own encounter with those bands of killers, you know. Took out two of my comrades from the company and two others. How do we know that your story isn't a ruse meant to distract us while a group of your friends surrounds us for the kill? How do we know that you weren't sent to clean up the mess left from the last ambush?"

My emerald eyes narrowed just enough, and I let a little bit of the ol' Madison Freebird venom slip into my voice. "Because if I were going to kill you," I said in hushed tones, "I would've done so already."

The man laughed in defiance, and turned to walk away. In a flash, he whipped back around, his sword arm arcing overhead, weapon gripped tightly in his white-knuckled hand. He let out a bellow that echoed off the dead gray bark of the trees that surrounded us. Stefan was quick, but I was that much more so. As he brought down the blade, I ripped The Last Resort from its holster on my right hip and jammed the barrel right into the space between his eyes. A look of sudden shock flashed across his greasy, pock-marked features as he halted his attack. The edge of his sword was still a solid six or eight inches from splitting my skull. Once Stefan got over this sudden change of events, he searched my face for any hint of trepidation. He found none. Instead, he got a glimpse of the monster that I truly was underneath the enchantments. He could sense that despite my appearances, I truly had what it takes for him to accept me as part of his group for the time being.

He smiled again, this time in earnest as he slowly lowered his sword and sheathed it. I did the same with my revolver, slowly retreating back into the security of my disguise. The opportunity was right there, I chided myself. You could've shot him down, taken out the knight, and then murdered the boy as well. It was all right there for you, and it was that simple! Why didn't you do it, you idiot?

The reason was, of course, the unknown capabilities of the knight. I had yet to see Caitlin do anything other than be motherly and look disapprovingly at Stefan as he continued being the tough guy of the trio. For all I knew, she could've sliced me into a million pieces with inhuman speed before the bullet left the chamber. Over the years, I learned that I had to be patient and know every single little thing about the company I was in before I acted. This was no exception. Not with what was at stake for me and my future.

"Come on," Stefan motioned to me as he walked away. "Let's get a move on. We can still make a few more miles until dark." Caitlin looked at me with unreadable eyes before she adjusted her pack on her shoulders and followed him. The sellsword stopped in front of Tomas briefly. This entire time, his piercing look never turned from me. He stood there, his eyes boring a hole through my very soul, his lips trembling softly in silent conversation with the unknown. "Tomas," Stefan called out. "Tomas!" Again, he did not get an answer.

He raised a hand in front of the boy's face and snapped so loud that it cracked like thunder. Tomas was immediately brought out of his trance. His eyes fluttered for a brief second, and then he turned toward the sellsword with the look that a pet dog would have when it crapped on an ornamental rug but doesn't understand why it's getting yelled at. "Do pay attention, son. We're on our way towards the heart of this gods-forsaken place. Nadia will be joining us from here on. Clear?"

"Yes, sir," Tomas managed to stammer. Whatever state of mind he was in for the past few minutes, it had clearly drained him. It set me on edge. For all of the unknown elements regarding the sellsword and the knight, it was this boy that truly unnerved me. Something was most certainly off about him. I was nearly certain as to what it was; but the extent of that particular thing was still hidden to me.

Tomas turned back to look at me for a second before he moved to catch up up with the others.

A voice filled my head as he walked away. It was both familiar to me, and yet incredibly foreign at the same time. It simply said one word.

"Liar."

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

"Liar!" The voice was louder this time.

I looked at Tomas as he climbed over the ashen-barked remains of a fallen tree. The voice spoke again. "You are a liar and a coward, Naaaadia."

The way it lingered on my false name sent shivers down my spine. I did not like where this was going. I tried communicating back, filling my mind with a single thought. "I am not a coward."

"You are a liar and a coward," it repeated, even louder than before. It felt like I was having the inside of my skull scraped with a tool made of pure hatred. "You hide behind false pretenses of searching for companionship! You tell these people to their faces that you are not here to kill them! She has seen all you have done these past seven days! She has granted me the insight and strength I need to stop your game, Naaaaadia!" She has told me all!"

Well, fuck me. I smiled inwardly. My unease was replaced with a malicious joy. "Thanks for confirming my suspicions, by the way."

Tomas did not answer immediately. "You will not get that which you so desperately seek," he projected with slightly less confidence than before. "The Red Witch is not happy with your actions as of late."

"The feeling's mutual," I spat back.

The boy ignored me. "I could kill you right now. With just a thought, I could tear your mind to shreds. I could make you go insane, revert you back to the mental state of a child, erase all of your memories..."

My sight burst into a brilliant white for a moment, and lightning shot through my brain and down my spine. My screams echoed throughout the forest as I gripped the side of my head, squeezing tightly as if that would be of any use. My jaw clenched and I dropped down to one knee, dirtying the fabric of my pants in the muddy debris. Caitlin immediately spun around and rushed over, kneeling down next to me and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright, Nadia? What's the matter? What happened?"

The pain suddenly dissipated, leaving nothing but a dull ache and momentary confusion. I blinked a few times. My vision had returned as well. "It's... It's nothing," I managed to squeak out. "Just a sudden migraine, is all. I'll be fine, I promise."

The knight looked at me with concern as I rose unsteadily to my feet. I raised a hand, motioning to her that I'd be fine in a moment. She lingered for a second before she turned back and rejoined Stefan, who had simply looked upon the entire event with nothing more than mild annoyance and disapproval. Tomas had stopped as well, that bastard. He simply stared at me without emotion.

"If it were my call, I'd do it again a thousand times over," he projected into my aching head.

I sent him the mental image of a thousand middle fingers standing on end.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

A soft chuckle seemed to come from every direction. At first, it sounded like it came from Tomas, but as the last echoes fluttered in the breeze I distinctly heard a more feminine tone. There was no mistaking who it belonged to; and that creeping realization of what it could possibly mean for me gnawed away at my heart. I tried my best to put it out of my mind, before that creep could pick it up and use it against me.

I needed to keep him occupied. "If you think you're capable of doing so, then why don't you just kill me?"

"Because that's not what she wants," Tomas lamented. "Podë's gifts came with caveats, really. She has made me aware of your actions and desires, and believes she knows what you're up to as you walk your little path of death and destruction. However..." The little brat lingered in thought for a moment. "I have strict orders not to kill you."

"To your infinite sorrow, I imagine."

Tomas's laugh reverberated in my mind. "It would be a pretty big feather in my cap to say that I was the one to finally capture and kill the Scourge of Eiskalt, yeah?"

...Goddammit. This son of a bitch can pick through my memory like a library's dust-covered card catalog.

"Anyway," the little sandy-haired brat continued, "no matter what you may believe about what you deserve and what is right, all of us... All of us chosen, as you would put it, serve a purpose in her game of chess. And that includes you."

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

"I know my purpose," I said flatly. "I'm to carry on her legacy. I am her Agent, and I will stop at nothing to see her work continue."

Tomas's words turned visibly dark in my mind as he channeled his anger--Podë's anger. "Your purpose here is to watch our enemies and learn their names, and then avenge her when the time is right! Why don't you understand that? Killing your friends, your allies... It does nothing to help our cause--her cause!"

I did not respond. It was best that I didn't. My anger began to bubble to the surface when he called himself and the others I have killed my friends. No, these people were not my friends; they were walking reminders of a Forgotten One's false promises. I wanted to kill him for suggesting otherwise. I wanted to slit his throat, poison his lungs with plague, consume his flesh with fungus, and disintegrate the remains with acid.

These people are not my friends. These people do not deserve the gifts they have been given. They're the ones that are nothing more than chess pieces. Desperate gambits made by a goddess who is too blind to see her true champion.

A champion cast aside and left to rot while the one she sacrificed so much to please willingly danced towards her own oblivion.

We traveled in silence for the next few hours, uninterrupted by the horrors that lurked just out of sight. As we continued down the winding dirt path, stopping occasionally for Stefan and Tomas to check the maps and argue over routes. The four of us continued our trek towards the heart of the Red Forest, where Podë undoubtedly waited for her end to come. By the time that Stefan stopped us to set up camp for the night, the entire group was exhausted. It didn't take long for a small fire pit to be dug and branches collected to start a cooking fire. Caitlin, who opted not to remove her armor even though it was pretty obvious she was having a hell of a time inside the metallic cocoon, dug in her pack for some ingredients and a pan.

Tomas simply spaced out, his lips moving almost imperceptibly as he silently communed with a dying god.

I tried to push all of my jealousy and anger out of my mind. I had a goal to achieve here--that little brat's horrible, messy death. Focusing my thoughts, I began plotting everything out.

I would have to find a way to isolate that little telepathic shithead. That was going to be the most difficult part, though--between his mindreading capabilities and Stefan's distrust of me ever since I suddenly dropped in on them earlier this afternoon, I had enough problems. And then you take into account the unknown abilities of Caitlin... I would have to find out what sort of problems she would cause for me before I enacted any plans. I very much would prefer a course of action that would leave the knight and the sellsword alive, since they're not the ones I'm after. They're not chosen. They're just a couple of people taking the Raiaerans' coin in hope of achieving a small bit of glory and purpose.

Sure, Stefan's a bit of a dick and all, and could probably stand being taught a lesson in humility... But I think that the demonstration of my speed with my gun was enough to knock him down a peg or two.

The meager dinner passed without incident, or further intrusion of my thoughts by Tomas. The last rays of the dying afternoon sun disappeared, leaving a calm and cloudless night sky overhead. The light of the moon and the amber glow of the fire provided just enough light to ward away the shadows of darkness around our little base camp. Stefan declared that we should pair off and alternate turns catching some shut-eye and watching out for the infinite dangers that the forest was famous for unleashing when those who traversed its confines least expected it. I volunteered to team up with Caitlin and take the first round of guard duty. I had to find out more about her...

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

We had thrown more wood on the fire to keep it going while the others slept. Despite the evening chill that settled in around us, Caitlin and I were rather comfortable standing with our backs to the small pit. The enchantments on my artic leather bodice did well to keep me nice and warm in any environment. The knight, on the other hand, either had the willpower to shut out the cold or a nice set of thermal clothing on underneath her polished steel shell.

I gazed into the infinite blackness beyond our camp, the occasional shimmer of pale moonlight reflected off the crimson-stained leaves as a light breeze blew through the branches. Somewhere out there, there were more examples of the lies and lack of trust that Podë had in me. I would find them, collect their cold, dead, fear-stricken bodies and gain the power that I was due from the beginning of the High Bard Council's desperate push to cleanse their stupid forest.

The telltale rattle of armor signaled Caitlin's approach to my side. It was the first time since shamed Stefan into sheathing his sword that she really approached me. We acknowledged each other with polite nods before she spoke. "It's a hell of a situation everyone's gotten themselves into here, isn't it?"

My thoughts turned to Sulla and Cellar, the killers that ambushed the rest of my group, the chosen who I in turn ambushed and murdered, my brewing plans for Tomas, and even so far back as to the night that I had been granted the powers by the Red Witch herself. I let them swirl around in my head for a brief second before I nodded my head. "Yeah," I remarked. "Yeah, it is."

Caitlin faced forward and crossed her arms in front of her chest, shifting her weight on her left leg to get comfortable as we stood watch. Long seconds passed before she spoke again. "I hope you forgive Stefan for his rudeness and paranoia."

"It's alright," I said dismissively. "It's expected with a man like him, I suppose. He mentioned something about two of his company falling in an ambush, so I figured that he might have been in a mercenary group of his own."

The knight nodded. "This is true. The elves assigned me to this group, and when I met them, all three of them--Stefan, Graves, and Riley, that is--were in such high spirits. They talked often about the glory and fame they would achieve by slaying a malevolent being like the Red Witch. Stefan took it pretty hard and blamed himself when they were overwhelmed in battle." The memory of that horrible conflict and the stress that it caused the entire party was obvious in the lines on her face. I decided not to press the matter further.

"What about you," I asked. "What's your story?"

"I am a Cleric of Draconus," Caitlin said with a smile.

So she's a Cleric, I thought to myself. That means, should worst come to worst, I can expect a slew of non-violent spells. Alright, cool, nothing I'm sure I can't handle. This could've been a lot worse.

"Huh. I never would've guessed that the Clerics would've sent someone out this far, to such a dangerous and foreign place." I looked her up and down, catching the glimmering light of the fire off the polished metal of her suit. "In full battle gear, no less."

A single word infiltrated my thoughts. "Hey."

"Shut the fuck up when grown folks are talking," I projected back.

Caitlin continued to tell her story. "It is a common misconception that the Clerics are not trained in battle. While it is true that we generally go about our quest to spread the love and word of the Dragon Lord through non-violent means, there are sects of us that are ready and able to pick up the sword when the time calls for it." She turned back towards the forest before us and nodded into it, her ponytail bobbing against her shoulders as she did so. "This is one of those times."

We stood in silence for several moments. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her about the conflicting nature of the Thayne and the pantheon that the Raiaerans worshipped. I wanted to know why she, as a Cleric of Draconus, would be willing to help those who did not recognize the deity she pledged her life to serve. But then, given the gravity of the task that these people had taken on, I assumed I would get some sort of "for the greater good" answer and then the subject would be dropped.

The knight broke the silence. "What about you? What brings you here to join the elves' cause?"